Reloading Noob: 9mm

[molov]

Hey y'all,

 

Wondering if someone with some experience reloading could help me out by giving my a shopping list of stuff I need to start acquiring. After the last ammo shortage and reloading shortage I vowed to get involved and figure this out. There is a ton of info out there and various products. I just want to make 9mm for practice shooting. It doesn't need to be for comp or anything. Just trying to get a better understanding. If there is a good course or book on it then I am happy to invest.

[Whisper]

The NRA has a course on handloading.  Don't know of anyone else with something similar.  But I would suggest the best way to learn is to find a friend who handloads and spend an hour with him/her and watch the process.  It's not hard, but there are lots of little nuances that you can pick up best by seeing it in action.  

Cheers,

Whisper

 

[superduty]

You might consider starting by reading the book "ABCs of Reloading".  Its a bit dated, but has solid info.

[Grayfox54]

Reloading isn't hard. But you do have to pay attention. Its the small details that come back to bite you. 

There's plenty of videos and info on the web. But I agree, a one on one session with an experienced reloader is best. I wouldn't be at all surprised if one of our members in your area didn't make the offer on this thread. 

(That's a hint boys. Somebody help the noobie out)

But honestly, I don't think now is a good time to start. Supplies are very hard to come by as most companies are using their powder and bullets for factory ammo. But I applaud your enthusiasm. 

[Darrell]

Everything except primers are readily available. Bullets, brass and powder are all out there, but it takes some searching. Expect to pay about $100 / thousand for primers IF you can find them, more if you find them at a gun show, where things were once less expensive. And even a press and dies are MUCH harder to find than they were a short time ago. If you're only going to load 9mm then you should be able to set up pretty inexpensively. Good luck!

Oh, I like the Lee reloading manual. There's a lot of drumming for Lee products, but there's also a whole lot of information to be had.

[gregintenn]

The ABC’s of Reloading is a pretty good book to start with. To reload, at a minimum, you’ll need:

press

dies

priming tool

powder scale

micrometer

 

brass

projectiles

powder

primers

 

[swiley383]

Midsouth shooters supply in Clarksville used to have reloading classes from time to time. I took one there and it was free not super detailed but gave the basic information. Seems like there was another shop in Clarksville that also did the class. That has been several years ago but worth looking into. The one at midsouth was basically for people interested in reloading and kinda gave you the info on what you were getting into.

[ohell]

add to gregintenn’s list.  
 

bullet puller.  Helped me most when new because crimp is hard to comprehend.  I still set crimp, measure for some reason and then pull bullet- inspect jacket/coating…….   Measure all you want, but nice to see if you’re overdoing it.  Plus comes in handy to pound out left over ammo after a kaboom.  
 

case gauge -  you do you and unlike other rounds I don’t gauge all my 9mm but I have one to spot check  

Time - seems a fair amount sell off reloading equipment after events like we’re in now because no time or desire   after the dust settles.  
 

Equipment?   try gunblue490 on YouTube. Not the most exciting bloke to watch but he has old upload,  four part series on hand loading.  Quite a bit of knowledge shared on this channel   A+

Johnny’s reloading bench my be more then your interested in,  good rifle content and conversations in live streams

[Quavodus]

If you can't find someone close by to get pointers from, there's usually videos online. Some are good info. 

[tmauto769]

one piece of advice when/if you get going. With most pistol calibers you can drop a double charge or more without it overflowing the case. This is why it is important to visually check each powder drop. Once you get into it, you can see when 

the powder charge isn't right. It is a good idea to put an LED strip light on the underside of the press so it shines down in the cases for this reason. There are electronic gizmos out there (powder cop) to warn you of this if needed.

MOST rifle calibers this isn't so much of a concern as they are almost always close to full capacity anyway, 300 blackout is one that can be overcharged off the top of my head.

[swiley383]

That’s a good point you need to start with a powder that has a good case fill. I have not loaded 9mm in a while ( loaded a good supply a while back) but I believe powder pistol gives over half a case fill. 

[chances R]

dependable powder measure, lock-out die, good light for visual check insures quality powder loads.....a must IMO

[Swede]

Spend very little (if any) money on 9mm brass. It's free for the picking up on most ranges.  Settle on one powder that is suitable for 115 and 124 gr. bullets.  Load jacketed bullets to begin with; cast bullets are a different game.  Get data only from places like powder manufacturers websites.    Do a lot of reading before you start loading, and don't think you need a loaded out progressive press to produce good ammo.   Yea, I'm stingy but points like this allow you to get more bang for your buck (to use an old worn out phrase).

[tmauto769]

I agree on a beginner not jumping in with a progressive, they can be a PIA sometimes, well the hornady LNL AP is, I haven't use a dillon YET, so I can't comment on that one.

Also titegroup is one powder that you can easily overcharge pistol loads with.

[runco]

In the days after Sandyhook in December 2012,  with ammo drying up, I followed this thread below, and never looked back.  Its a old one, but was spot on:

https://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/56167-good-reloading-starter-kit/#comment-859307

 

 

 

[chances R]

I would recommend the Hornady LNL.  It is a reasonably priced progressive but you can load one round at a time until you are comfortable about moving on.  Plenty of room to separate your bullet seating and finish with a Lee Factory Crimp Die.  I prefer coated bullets from DG bullets.  If you decide to go that route, a little face time help should be easy.

[Quavodus]

What powder or powders are you considering? I load 9 and use mostly Unique, Herco, and have used some AA 7. They all work good but, the AA7 is a little slow. 

[No_0ne]

There's a oot fo good advice here, so i won't repeat what's already been said.  While I'll applaud your desire to take up reloading, now is a really difficult time due to shortages of almost everything involved.  One thing I would ad, you occasionally see people getting out of reloading and selling used equipment, sometimes at good prices.  One place to get familiar with, even if you don't plan to cast your own bullets is https://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/